menticide

[James A. Landau <JJJRLandau@netscape.com>]

just found the following.  The anonymous author is obviously an African.

http://www.malariaeradicationinafrica.org/

<quote>
The declaration of the ban on the use of DDT  in America in 1972 2, twenty years after America was declared Malaria free, was clearly due to its Agricultural use which was responsible for the depopulation of birds which in turn inspired the writing of the then popular book, Silent Spring by Rachel Carson in 1962 13. The importance of this book is that it gave birth to the environmental groups13 who joined forces with the Malthusians to fight against the use of DDT and created unprecedented menticide of generations of people against DDT use to this day 12. Black Africans in Africa who oppose DDT use are clearly victims of this menticide.
</quote>

Applicable footnotes:

2.                 US Environmental Protection Agency, DDT Ban Takes Effect. Press Release 31/12/1972

12.            Hecht Marjorie Mazel. Bring Back DDT, and  Science with it (Editorial) 21st Century ScienceTechnology Magazine
  (Summer 2002), http//www.21stcenturysciencetech.com/articles/Summer02/DDT.html
13.            Vice President Al Gore, Introduction, Silent Spring by Rachel Carson 1994 xviii.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Google gives 220K hits on "menticide" including the following which is dated 2005 and which is also about the use of DDT against malaria, which causes me to wonder if perhaps "menticide" was coined as part of the long-running debate over whether to use DDT:

http://wordsmith.org/words/menticide.html

menticide

(MEN-tuh-syd))

noun: The systematic undermining of a person's beliefs, attitudes, and values.

>From Latin ment- (mind) + -cide (killing).

"Our compliance with the dictates of Donor Agencies and environmentalists not to use DDT amounts to suicide or at least menticide of our people."
Dr. Matthias Offoboche; Tackling Malaria the DDT Way; This Day (Lagos, Nigeria); Nov 29, 2005.


     - James A. Landau

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